The outlook from hereĪustralia has already warmed by about 1.4℃ since 1910.

The hot, dry winds from the east are also projected to get more intense, bringing still more heat to WA. Indeed, a 2018 study confirmed the frequency of anti-cyclones is increasing between 30-40⁰ south of the equator, which includes southern Australia. As the trough moves inland, we get cooler conditions, as we’ve been feeling this week.Īccording to climate change models, these anti-cyclones are becoming more frequent and intense. When it’s stationary at the coast, it tends to bring warm north-easterly winds, which was the case during the heatwave. When located offshore, the west coast trough will essentially block and weaken the afternoon sea breeze. Troughs are elongated regions of relatively low atmospheric pressure. But that’s not the whole story, as the so-called “west coast trough” – another key feature of Perth summers – also plays a key role in determining how hot it gets. This heatwave was caused by a strong and stationary anti-cyclone sitting in the Great Australian Bight. Their impact depends on where they’re located and how they move. These winds are brought about by “anti-cyclones” (or high pressure systems), which are a prominent feature of Perth weather, and we see these almost every day in our weather charts. What’s driving this heatwave?Įasterly winds travelling over the hot, dry desert bring very hot, dry weather conditions to Perth.

But we do know from climate models that these sorts of extreme events will only become more frequent. To definitively state whether last week’s heatwave is a direct result of climate change, we’d need to carry out a formal attribution study. This has seen the number of days over 40℃ more than double in Perth. Over the last century, the average global temperature has risen by more than 1℃. Southwest Australia is considered a hotspot for climate change, as the long-term warming and drying trend is extremely pronounced. While the heatwave was unprecedented and extreme, for climate scientists like myself, it’s not surprising. On top of that, Perth has suffered widespread power outages and a bushfire in the city’s north. Perth smashed its previous heatwave records last week, after sweltering through six days in a row over 40℃ – and 11 days over 40℃ this summer so far. This article was written by Jatin Kala, Senior Lecturer and Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award fellow from Murdoch University, and originally published in The Conversation.

Wave wildlife masse